Find sleek styles, bold colors and cool graphics in Tony Wong’s contemporary housewares shop. Nothing here is clunky or unwieldy, and most of the items fit just right in small apartments. Look for that perfect pop of color in Abode’s many bowls, serving trays, linens, bedding and rugs from eco-friendly brands like Goldiehome, Paper Cloud and Teroforma.

Rony Vardi opened her teeny accessories boutique in 2006 as a companion to the larger, clothing-focused outpost of Catbird on Metropolitan Avenue. Though that store closed in 2009, the girly, white-walled Bedford branch is still going strong, offering a carefully curated selection of jewelry, accessories, home goods and more. “I consider it my life’s work,” explains Vardi of her quest to find pieces by new or little-known—but amazing—designers. In addition to sourcing items by Kings County jewelry artisans like Bittersweets NY and Flotsam & Jetsam, Vardi also designs a house line featuring delicate rings and pendants fashioned after letters of the alphabet, seahorses or the great state of New Jersey.

Brothers Emil and Sandy Corsillo launched their e-commerce site, Hickoree’s Hard Goods, in June 2009, featuring a small selection of ties and scarves. One of the best-selling brands on the site was Emil’s own tie line, the Hill-Side, which became so popular (it was even picked up by J.Crew) that the brothers decided they should open a brick-and-mortar store. After a well-received Williamsburg pop-up during the 2009 Christmas season, Sandy quit his job in finance, and the duo channeled all of their energy into opening a Brooklyn storefront. With products ranging from seed packets ($2–$2.25) and Slinkies ($6–$9) to Levi’s vintage jeans ($260–$295), Sandy says he wants customers to feel as if they’re “going into a supermarket and grabbing watermelon seeds while their mom shops.” To create that general-store effect, products hang on a giant pegboard to replicate the front page of the website, while knickknacks such as slingshots ($21), Silly Putty ($2) and toy airplanes ($2–$4) are displayed by the register. Along with the Hill-Side printed skinny ties ($76–$90), Hickoree’s offers Heritage Leather Company top-handle bags ($37–$170), store-brand baseball caps ($48) and Sierra Designs short parkas ($350).

Since spring break in Cancún is not looking likely this year, pick up a souvenir from owner Emily Cantrell’s travels to Mexico instead. Cantrell sources intricate silver jewelry ($20–$200), Mexican wedding shirts and peasant dresses ($54–$98), leather sandals ($25) and popular lucha libre masks ($15–$45) direct from individual artisans. Everything’s handmade and comes with a card detailing the who, where and how of its creation. Beats the hell out of a shot glass.

Shopping at Siri Wilson’s shop is sort of like rummaging through a very cool granny’s attic: Antique scarves are piled in baskets, hand-stitched T-shirts sit on tables, craft supplies fill shelves and oodles of traffic-stopping baubles are clustered by the register. The shop showcases work by more than 60 designers, most of whom live and work in Brooklyn. Do-it-yourselfers also stop by to pick up hand-spun yarn and vintage craft kits; you can also browse the library of crafting books (sorry, no borrowing) and take a class in embroidery, crochet, jewelry making or decoupage.

If Julia Child were alive, we suspect she’d coo with pleasure over this brightly lit, well-stocked kitchen store (and not just because they sell aprons with her friendly visage screenprinted on them). Both cooking novices and seasoned chefs will find an abundance of supplies to keep a kitchen running smoothly, including essential pieces like quality pots by Le Creuset and Calphalon; knives by J.A. Zwilling Henckels; and quirky items you didn’t even know you needed, like a salt shaker shaped like a dove.

More shops for gifts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

A rotating selection of around 30 vendors, including local craftspeople and artists, sets up shop in a warehouse every weekend. The browsable mix includes everything from original T-shirts and handmade jewelry to Lauren C. Pratt’s reconditioned vintage Boyfriendbags, decorated with song lyrics and poetry.

Urban Outfitters opened Space 15 Twenty in Los Angeles a couple of years ago, and Space Ninety 8 in Brooklyn is the latest outpot in the company's address-as-name brand extension. The multi-floor market features products you'd find at any Urban Outfitters (moderately-priced men's and women's clothing, jewelry, home-decor goods), plus an expanded record shop and a gallery space that features pop-up shops. The Market Space, located on the first floor, is home to handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces—many created in New York. And when you need to take a break from all the shopping, there's The Gorbals, a restaurant and bar from Chef Ilan Hall that occupies part of the third floor and the rooftop.

Since moving their shop from Greenpoint to Williamsburg, husband-and-wife team Basia Grocholski and Douglas Friedmutter have three times as much space to show off their stock of handmade gifts. The shelves, lined with the work of more than 30 mostly local designers and artists, offer well-designed jewelry, home accessories and a small selection of CDs from local musicians.

We’ve all experienced that “Oh, shit, I forgot my best friend’s birthday” panic, so we’re especially grateful for this budget-friendly gift emporium. As the third installment to Grace Kang’s sea of stationery boutiques, this Williamsburg outpost primarily sells quaint items like New York art prints ($30), teakwood-and-tobacco-scented candles ($24), you are loved mugs ($18) and Freaking Awesome greeting cards ($8). The spot also hosts frequent events, like the upcoming Valentine’s Day jewelry trunk show, where you can get complimentary jewelry stamping by the designer from Brooklyn Rehab.

Married couple Kimberly and Enrique Sevilla have been helping urbanites spruce up their living spaces since 2008, offering indoor-friendly air plants ($2–$10) that flourish without soil and hanging ferns encased in globes of moss ($30) from their bright blue shop. The focus here is on greenery, and plants such as temperate bonsai trees ($35–$50) abound in the store’s neighboring outdoor space, where the Sevillas churn out floral arrangements ($50–$300) daily. There’s also a smattering of small gifts, including sterling-silver lockets ($150) containing petite ecosystems and glass teapot vases ($18) that can also be used for serving Tea Beyond floral-infused tea ($12). Weekly classes, including one on how to make ice cream using lavender and roses ($35), will change the way you think about working with flowers.

Rony Vardi's jewelry and accessories shop is a cult fave among Williamsburg shoppers. The boutique is filled with a well-edited selection of timeless and trendy pieces by contemporary designers such as Digy + Iona, Bittersweets NY and Polly Wales. In addition to the cool indie designers, the shop has sells items from its popular in-house brand.

Don’t expect to dig through long boxes full of dusty old comics. The stock here comprises new titles, back issues, graphic novels, children’s books, and signed prints from artists like Dash Shaw, Paul Pope and Lauren Weinstein. Remember to pick up a copy of Smoke Signal, the shop’s free newspaper, which highlights underground and emerging authors and artists.

Co-owner Phurbu “Chimmey” Tsamchoe (Perma, Norbu) thinks New York men are too limited when it comes to shopping: It’s either high-end chic or H&M. Enter her latest venture, ID, which she hopes will provide local boys with a shopping middle ground. The sparse, cement-floored store focuses on hard-to-find international labels, and the exotic threads share shelf space with goods by local designers, and of course there are a few big names (Fred Perry, Penguin, Alternative Apparel, etc.)

Brothers Emil and Sandy Corsillo launched their e-commerce site, Hickoree’s Hard Goods, in June 2009, featuring a small selection of ties and scarves. One of the best-selling brands on the site was Emil’s own tie line, the Hill-Side, which became so popular (it was even picked up by J.Crew) that the brothers decided they should open a brick-and-mortar store. After a well-received Williamsburg pop-up during the 2009 Christmas season, Sandy quit his job in finance, and the duo channeled all of their energy into opening a Brooklyn storefront. With products ranging from seed packets ($2–$2.25) and Slinkies ($6–$9) to Levi’s vintage jeans ($260–$295), Sandy says he wants customers to feel as if they’re “going into a supermarket and grabbing watermelon seeds while their mom shops.” To create that general-store effect, products hang on a giant pegboard to replicate the front page of the website, while knickknacks such as slingshots ($21), Silly Putty ($2) and toy airplanes ($2–$4) are displayed by the register. Along with the Hill-Side printed skinny ties ($76–$90), Hickoree’s offers Heritage Leather Company top-handle bags ($37–$170), store-brand baseball caps ($48) and Sierra Designs short parkas ($350).

Williamsburg was shockingly devoid of classy sex shops before Honey opened in the summer of 2009; owner Cindy Yip helped her sister run the Vancouver-based store for nearly a decade before opening her own. “The concept is the same,” she says. “[We offer] lingerie and toys in a safe environment; it’s comfortable and fun.” Peruse the wall of sex toys at the back of the store, which includes both inexpensive and luxury options (we’re fond of Jimmyjane’s sleek Little Chroma vibrator, $125); if that’s too porno-crazy for your Puritan blood, you can stock up on love notes from the small selection of letterpress cards, like one that says “XXXOOO” by May Day Studio near the front of the shop.

Founder Tara Heibel tapped employee Tassy de Give to open this New York branch of her Chicago store in 2007. Weiss ceramic planters ($10–$100) hang from the ceiling of the sprawling, well-lit shop, where locals convene for free classes on creating floral arrangements (materials $50–$300). Even if you’re not DIY savvy, you can still leave with something equally charming, such as Tesoros stainless-steel cups hand-painted with floral accents ($36), Seletti porcelain milk-carton vases ($17) and hanging glass globe terrariums ($14–$19). To bring a piece of nature indoors, head to Sprout’s neighboring floral shop, where arrangements start at $50 and can incorporate anything from French tulips to seasonal branches.

If Julia Child were alive, we suspect she’d coo with pleasure over this brightly lit, well-stocked kitchen store (and not just because they sell aprons with her friendly visage screenprinted on them). Both cooking novices and seasoned chefs will find an abundance of supplies to keep a kitchen running smoothly, including essential pieces like quality pots by Le Creuset and Calphalon; knives by J.A. Zwilling Henckels; and quirky items you didn’t even know you needed, like a salt shaker shaped like a dove.

After running her locally sourced accessories and gift shop Honey & Hazel for two years, owner Melissa Gorski had to shut her doors in February 2012 when her family moved to California. Luckily, Gorski found a new owner in friend and former Playboy colleague Bernadette Libonate, who renamed the store and changed up the merchandise. Where Honey & Hazel was girly and craft-inspired, Milly & Earl is more clean and modern, with natural-colored walls and vintage furniture. Inside you’ll find a bounty of well-priced ladies’ accessories, including Brooklyn Rehab lockets with silk-screened images ($32–$44) and Bark printed-cotton circle scarves ($42). For the boys, there are vintage cufflinks ($24) and Izola stainless-steel flasks ($28). Libonate also stocks plenty of Brooklyn-made home and gift items, such as vintage-bicycle-wheel photo holders ($68) and Brooklyn Slate Co. slate cheese boards ($36).

You’ll leave this straightforward supply store feeling good that your purchase helped animals in need: All proceeds fund the adjoining Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition, which has been taking in strays since 1987. Those who own pets with special needs should make a beeline here for over-the-counter prescriptions, Dogswell Happy Hips chicken sticks designed to soothe the aching joints of senior canines ($9) and a selection of plush Wilson doughnut beds ($25–$46). If you love your mutt but are stumped as to what breed he is, pick up a BioPet DNA test ($65), swab his mouth and send it into the lab for evaluation; within two weeks, results will arrive in the mail. Mystery solved!

Shopping at Siri Wilson’s shop is sort of like rummaging through a very cool granny’s attic: Antique scarves are piled in baskets, hand-stitched T-shirts sit on tables, craft supplies fill shelves and oodles of traffic-stopping baubles are clustered by the register. The shop showcases work by more than 60 designers, most of whom live and work in Brooklyn. Do-it-yourselfers also stop by to pick up hand-spun yarn and vintage craft kits; you can also browse the library of crafting books (sorry, no borrowing) and take a class in embroidery, crochet, jewelry making or decoupage.

Find sleek styles, bold colors and cool graphics in Tony Wong’s contemporary housewares shop. Nothing here is clunky or unwieldy, and most of the items fit just right in small apartments. Look for that perfect pop of color in Abode’s many bowls, serving trays, linens, bedding and rugs from eco-friendly brands like Goldiehome, Paper Cloud and Teroforma.

Erika Vala and Dana Schwister opened their first boutique in 1999 inside the Williamsburg MiniMall, a former girdle factory. Thirteen years later, they still operate one of the last original shops left in the building, and their clothing and accessories stand the test of time in an evolving neighborhood. You’ll find plenty of affordable and trendy items, ranging from MinkPink floral minidresses ($80) to Cheap Monday button-front rompers ($60) and Funktional open-weave sweaters ($120). Basics such as Levi’s skinny jeans ($55) and graphic tees for men and women ($28–$52) are folded on one side of the store, while Maja woven backpacks ($62), By Boe gold bow hoop earrings ($90) and Soludos striped espadrille flats ($38) are scattered throughout.

All perfumes in this quaint Brooklyn shop are blended and bottled by hand on the premises. Pick up a bottle of “To See a Flower” ($60 for 15ml) from the store’s popular Experience Series, designed to help create and radiate new noteworthy experiences. Also available are an assortment of travel-size bottles for when you’re on the go ($10–$21 for 2ml).